Training Day

With my first half ironman just over 3 months away, I wanted to get in a few back to back triathlons to fully go through the motions of quickly transitioning. Somehow I ended up with 3 triathlons in the month of June. Sounds like fun, right? I thought so until I got to the third one.  The night before I headed to the coast to grab dinner with a few friends and crash on their couch before the Indiatlantic Boardwalk Triathlon. I showed up with my bike, my gear, and a 'meh' attitude. I was really just not feeling like racing. After talking it over with them that night, I decided to take the pressure off of myself and go into this a merely a training day. Simply show up, be a good sport, and have a good time. Time didn't matter otherwise.

Woke up in the best of moods and was excited to get an ocean swim in that morning. Believe it or not, this would be the first time I did an ocean swim (of course, I couldn't stop thinking about sharks). Got transition set up in flash, met some new friends, saw some old ones, and just calmly waited for my wave. And like that, I was up. This might have the one and only time I didn't tear up before a race.  It was nice to be out there as a training day instead of focusing on a PR.  Did a few jumping jacks to get the blood pumping and I was off.

No rush in the water, so I let the really fast girls jump ahead, took my time, and then jumped in with enthusiasm.  As I rounded the first corner, things could not have been going any better. I felt strong with my stroke, calm and collected, and focused on a nice smooth swim. Before I knew it, I was already turning the second buoy and heading back to shore. Finished the last little bit of the swim and popped out of the water. I thought my watch was wrong, because I just killed that swim. Heck, I could PR this race...and yup, all of a sudden, I was racing.

On to the bike I went. I was on a runner's high on the bike (is there a such thing as a triathlete's high? It just doesn't sound right), climbing the bridges with fiery, cruising the straight-aways and talking to every person I rode with.  I love having those moments that remind me why I love this sport. Why I choose to get up before the sun on the weekends to workout. Why I spend more money that I care to admit on racing gear (so I can obviously look good doing it). And why I continue to push myself to be better and do better.

On to the run. I had a great pace going and knew that I was on my way to a PR. That made the run that much more fun. I tried to channel my Pinappleman run. Run hard, run fast, run fun.

I crossed the finish line at 1:29:55. Which not only was a PR, but was the first time I've ever broken the 1:30 mark. And not to mention a nearly 10 minute PR from a race the year before that had 3 less miles.  I could not have been more ecstatic to see that in a year, I went 3 miles further in 10 less minutes. This will be one of those races that I remember for a long time.

And that is what I think makes the idea of Competers and Completers so powerful. It is all about what you can do, how you treat other competitors, and with what kind of attitude you cross the finish line.

The Heart in Heartland

Last December, after completing only my first sprint triathlons, I (pretty much over night) decided to complete at half ironman in the 2014 season. With the race fast approaching and my uncertainty in the water, even after many Lucky's Lake crossings, I still wanted to test my swimming skills in a race longer than a sprint. And that is where the Heartland Olympic race comes in.

Nothing new, as I approach transition, the nerves set in and I realized that I would actually have to not drown in the water and then somehow ride 40K and run 10K following the potential drowning situation. The morning was filled with nerves, doubt, and of course tears.

First shot of the lake. Looks calm, so that is good, but 1.5K is a really, really, might I add really far way to swim. Trying to fake not being nervous, but it wasn't much after this that my tears began to fill a bit with tears. The race had both the sprint and olympic distance races that morning. So I tried to focus and warm up as the sprinter's waves each set off into the water. Once it was our turn to line up and wait for the gun, nerves came over me and the tears that filled my eyes finally started to stream down my face. A nice lady came to reassure me that everything would be alright. And I tried to reassure myself, that is what training is for and I got this.  The gun went off and I took a second to let the others go ahead and walked out to the drop off. Finally I jump in. Once I got going (maybe 25 meters out). The nerves disappeared and I was finally getting in a groove. I just focused on swimming; not fast, not hard, just strong and consistent. I never looked at my watch or worried if I was ahead of people, I just swam. Turns out, I can swim! Making it to the end and then popping out of the water to cross the mat and head into T1 was such a good feeling that day and at that moment, I knew this would be one of the most memorable races of my life.

I was seriously so thrilled with completing the swim and coming so far from just two years ago when I took swimming lessons and attempted to get in triathlon mode. And what better way to celebrate than to take take this lovely photo while trying to focus on the bike.  Okay, probably not the safest thing I've ever done, but you have to live every once in awhile!  The bike and run were great. Not my fastest but still my best effort for the day and with a smile on my face the entire time. The run portion of this race is both interesting and fun in itself. It is a 5 star loop, so lots of spectators and opportunities to talk with the other athletes, cheer each other on, and meet some new racing friends. I gave it my all that day and I think that is what puts the heart in Heartland. For my first OLY, it was one for the books and obviously now my current PR. It was a great distance and lots of fun, so I am certain I will be back next year to see what more I can do. 

I Aced the A Race

I have two "A" races this year.  Augusta 70.3, because all this training is part of my "Road to Augusta 70.3" and my first half ironman. And Pinappleman.  Pinappleman Triathlon is the only race this year that I've done before and since sprints vary so greatly, this would be the only race this season that I could directly compare to last year to judge improvement (this goes back to competing with myself).

This year, as both my parents are also training for Augusta, they decided to also register for this triathlon.  It is so cool do these kinds of events with them.  They are beasts!  Prior to the race, we were able to capture this great photo of the three of us.

And your standard pre-race, dorky smile, hiding nerves photo that I always take.

I did better in the water than I expected.  Compared to the race the previous year, I had improved by over 4 minutes in the water.  As I ran to the transition area, I was all smiles and very excited to see this accomplishment in action.  And of course, that dang beard is back!

Bike time.  Check out those fancy clip-less shoes.  I just put these on my bike days before and only had 2 opportunities to try them out prior to the race.  Regardless of that, I clipped in with ease and was off on the bike.  I knew the course was nearly flat, but expected there to be a lot of wind.

 Just as I got going on the bike, a mini-storm came through.  The winds picked up, the rain poured down, and the fun of riding through puddles and playing in the rain began. (You can't see it in this picture but I promise you...it was storming.)

Although we had a mini-storm on the bike, the sky cleared up and the sun came out for the run.  So not to disappoint, it was incredible hot for the run.  I told myself..."run till it hurts, then run through the hurt till you finish, or till you pass out."  And that is what I did.  I ran...and it hurt.  I didn't even have any push left for me to give a little gusto cross the finish line but it felt nice to definitely be cruising along faster than the previous year.

Look at that intensity...or is that the look of, "I might kill over and die."  Either way, a finish for the records.  I had accomplished over a 15 minute PR from previous year.  No matter where I finished in my age group, I couldn't help but celebrate that as a win.  The biggest win was in the swim...no the bike...no run.  Okay, lets be honest, for someone that shows up to 'Complete' races, I sure did an awesome job 'Competing' against myself in this race.






Pineappleman is the race I signed up for in 2012 and didn't have the water confidence to even start, then in 2013 it was my third race of the season and this year, I finally had the confidence up and the training consistent.  I took 4:01 off my swim, :23 off T1, 3:38 off my bike, and 7:18 off my run.  Aced that race!

The Triathlon of Horrible Photos

Not everyone can be "ridiculously photogenic guy," but lots of people are taking great tri photos.  At the Tomoka Triathlon this year, that wasn't the case for me. In fact, these photos were so bad, they were hilarious.  And when something is that hilarious, you just cannot not share.  Enjoy and be reminded, life is too short not to laugh at yourself every once in awhile.

I was really excited for this race as I knew I was ready to redeem my water time from the previous race. So bright and early we drove to Ormond Beach.  Josh was gracious enough to join me, listen to my freak outs (I had more than one this race), cheer me on, and snap chat all my friends each leg of the race before any of them were even out of bed that morning.  And this is where the laughter begins...

Have you ever seen a more graceful, pretty, water exit?  Probably.  This is just horrible.  I look like a drunk guy with a five o'clock shadow that wanted to wear very bright lipstick (I swear I didn't have lipstick on).  Some may call it the "Josh" look (sans the lipstick). And even though you can't tell, I am very pleased here with my efforts in the water and ready to knock out the causeway crossings for both the bike and the run.

Why do I never see the camera?  I could at least smile if I did.  Instead, I look miserable. I look like I hate this sport, and I look like I am ready to be done.  Again, you can't tell, but I rocked my way through that transition and hopped on my bike proudly, ready again to have "strong mind, strong legs."  The causeway crossings were tough, but I made it up and finished the bike stronger than any race previous to this one.

See I was happy...yeah, a decent photo...but, what's that?

At closer look, I hadn't known I had a beard.  So yes, I was gabbing on the bike course with many people all while my drunken 5 o'clock shadow still existed on my face.  Why don't people tell you these things? But yes, you can tell that at least I am having fun.  A reminder of why I do this.  And I love the run.  It is my favorite part.

Some point during the run, I wiped sweat from my face and managed to finish the race without my beard. Happy with my overall effort and time.  Tomoka Sprint Triathlon will be a definite race for next year.

Ice Blocks

The start of the race, Ocala Hits Triathlon, was delayed to wait for the sun to rise; not sure if they wanted the sun for the light it would provide or for the potential heat it would provide.  Waiting on the shore that morning, the air was 52 degrees and the water was 64, I noted that doing a triathlon in March may be too early in the season...even in Florida.  This was the first race of the season and the kick off for my official "Road to Augusta 70.3."  I was, as usual, nervous.  Super nervous in fact.  I always doubt myself when it comes to the swim. And even with a few open water swims for the season (at Lucky's Lake), I was still nervous about the 750 meter swim.  Most sprints are only 400 meters.

Pre-race nerves setting in. Trying not to freeze, cry, or quit.

Coach Tammy giving me a prep talk.  Still dying inside here.

And we are off!  Yes, I am one of the people still running at that point.  I am always confused to when the right time to start swimming is, when the water is barely waist deep.  But eventually I had to start swimming.  And that I did.  When it comes to open water, I am hesitant to just "swim." I know that sounds strange, but I constantly check my watch, stop to breath "extra," and worry about people around me.  So my goal was to worry little about time and focus on only looking up to site.  I did stop a few times, but my swim felt good...

But when I saw my time, I was mad...I was really mad.  This is me stomping and pouting my way out of the water cause I was 3 minutes slower than what I wanted.  For a brief moment, I was questioning why I even wanted to do a tri. I spend several hours a week in the gym, I give up some social time, I give up sleep, I give up my weekends...for what?  To get up at 4am on a Saturday, drive to another city, freeze my booty off, stand among people thought to be crazy by their friends, and swim a crappy time after all that hard work...EEERRRRRR.

But, I would at least finish.  Let's be honest, the race shirt was pretty cool; and you can't wear it unless you finish.  So get it together; run through transition, strip the wet suit, grab the helmet, and hop on the bike is exactly what I did. I wasn't much happier on the bike for the first mile or two.  I was wet and cold and pissed...really pissed.  But then, that anger turned into something glorious, strength.  I reminded myself, that just because my swim was weak, didn't mean that my bike or run had to be weak; strong mind = strong legs.  I repeated that mantra in my head over and over and over.  All of a sudden, I was having fun again.  Hauling butt out there and taking names.  Before I knew it, I was back at transition and ready to rock the run.

The combination of wet feet and then the cool breeze created on the bike, made for an interesting run.  I hadn't noticed on the bike, but once I hopped off, I realized my feet were ice blocks. And every s-i-n-g-l-e step HURT.  Or maybe it burned.  Either way, I didn't like it.  But since my attitude had changed so dramatically, I didn't care.  I just thought, "the faster I run, the faster my feet thaw." So I went hard and fast and tried to make up those 3 minutes from the water.

Doing work and pushing hard AKA huffing and puffing my way to the finish line.

What could have easily halted my training for triathlons turned into an amazing race with great lessons and hunger for more.  I say all the time that there are completors and competors that show up to these races. I've always considered myself to be the completor.  There for the race, but more importantly the experience.  But this race help me to realize that even though I am not winning these things, I am winning against myself (I know corny...but true). And every time I wake up earlier, go further, push harder; I get stronger both mentally and phsically.  That is winning in my book.



And by some strange happening, I place that day too.  I took second place in my age group. Tammy totally rocked in the OLY taking second in her age group as well.  Here is us celebrating the win for the day and the kick off to an amazing season ahead and the Road to Augusta 70.3.

Not so Savage

This was the calm before the storm.  Literally, a super crazy storm. We took our pre-race photo and lined up to start the race.  It began to sprinkle and a mile in, the sky just opened up.  It down poured like crazy, followed by thunder and lightning.  The closed the obstacles, closed the course, and we could finish.  Luckily they were willing to accommodate us with free race entries to the October race...so we will be back to dominate.

I forgot the best part...

They crowned us and gave us booze.
That's the perfect end to an awesome race!
Excalibur 10 Miler